What do you know about Karl Marx and what's your opinion about him and his work?

Question

Can the European welfare state be counted as an achivement of Marxism?

Answer 1

Long before Marx and Communism appeared on the scene,what we now consider "socialism" evolved in the first half of the 19th century .Owen of Britian and Saint-Simone of France are seen as the "PARENTS" OF MODERN DAY SOCIALISM .

Originally called Utopianism,the movement was a DIRECT result of the slaughter of humans in the factories/mines etc of Industrial Revolution western Europe.

Socialism both then and now is essentially an ECONOMIC system ,not a political one.

The only link between socialism and communism is that Karl Marx "usurped" the Utopian (socialist) economic theories and incorporated into his overall system as the economic system .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism


As evidenced by most comments here (although at least two are "dead-on) and in the real world,very few have any idea as to what Karl Marx's theories were/are all about and that is simply due not to the fact that all this knowledge is not readily available but rather most seem to favor the "ignorance is bliss" propaganda served up to them.

First and foremost,all Marx experts I have ever read agree on one thing and that is MARX WOULD HAVE HATED WHAT EVENTUALLY EVOVED FROM HIS DAS KAPITAL AND WHAT WE TODAY CALL COMMUNISM.

Marx would have simply been revolted by the totalitarian Soviet state and more profoundly would have been totally repulsed by the slaughter of so many of his "workers" by Stalin et al.

To blame Karl Marx for what evolve as the brutal totalitarian communist Soviet state let alone refer to it as Marx's creation,is simply ludicrous and a testimony to the intellectual and educational bankrupcy of anyone avering same.

Here is a testimony to the above,namely Marx's hatred of what became of his theories.

http://www.discussanything.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-4628.html

For those who have read Das Kapital,they know that many profound truths lay as the base of Marx's theories .In many respects Marx's true love for the prolitariate and their plight is fully reflective of our Judeo-Christian moral/ethical code.In fact had the good Christian Industrial Revolutionary Capitalists had half the moral/ethical integrity that Marx ,Owen and Saint-Simone had,neither socialism or communism would have been necessary.

The SOCIALISM of modern day Europe (called social/Christian socialism) DID NOT EVOLVE FROM KARL MARX'S WRITINGS but on it's own track from it's OWN beginnings with Owen and Saint Simone in the 1820-40 period.

MODERN DAY SOCIALIST WESTERN EUROPE AND IT'S GOVERNMENTS HAVE NOTHING TO DO PERSEE WITH KARL MARX.

At some point the two were of course influencing countries and peoples but to Europeans there was and is NEVER and confusion of the two.Most European countries have(or did up to the fall of the USSR) both socialist parties and communist parties involved in their democratic elections.

As essentially an idealist,Marx's central error was he did not understand just how profoundly determining was/is man's basic greed and power driven motivations .

It is in fact the same striving for power/wealth and materialism that has made capitalism so successful but ONLY IN THESE REGARDS.

Answer 2

Very little time is spent on Marx or Marxism in most general survey political science classes in the US, so most people, myself included, don't know much about it. All I can remember is that his theory made sense to a point, but it obviously fell apart where he said capitalism would destroy itself. I don't remember the reason.

At the time Marx wrote Das Kapital, workers in England were truly exploited, the union movement was brutally suppressed, wages were at or below subsistence level, and the capitalists were indeed getting to be as rich as kings. Marx wanted workers to get more of the value they added to the products they manufactured, and I can't remember whether he felt they should rise up and overthrow the capitalists or capitalism would fail on its own, but one way or another he predicted that workers would end up owning all the means of production.

One thing that I know for sure is that conditions for workers in England and the rest of Europe were far worse than in the US. The US had traditionally had a shortage of labor so wages were better, and then the progressive movement came along in the early 20th century, and created the public schools, park and library systems and other amenities that greatly improved the lot of the workingman. Also, some of the capitalist monopolies were split up by the US government and the government began to regulate businesses in various ways that ameliorated the abuses endemic to unrestrained capitalism.

I'll guess that the European welfare state has something to do with Marxism, but only because you asked. I would not have made the connection on my own. I know that communism and socialism were definitely a larger part of the political scene in Europe than they were in the US.

Answer 3

The European Welfare state is a result of US occupation after WWII. We enabled to Europeans to become dependent on others.

Karl Marx's attitude was take everything collectively and distribute evenly. The only problem is greed rules and always will.

Answer 4

properly Karl Marx's theologies (additionally talked approximately as Marxism) is what communism is in line with. for my area, i think of his concepts are properly intentioned, yet no longer sensible. Marxism isn't probably correct any further... even under the greater properly-known call: communism. we are residing in a capitalist society and communism has been abolished from ninety seven% of the international. purely 3% of international locations stay communist: China Cuba Laos North Korea Vietnam wish this facilitates :)

Answer 5

His most important legacy is that he changed the way people thought about society. Marx believed that development in human societies can be analyzes in economic terms, and is largely determined by how we organize our economies. When you listen to political debate today, both the right and the left assume this to be true, but have different visions of the ideal world. In this sense both can be said to be using Marxist thought.

Answer 6

He saw some real problems having to do with greed and human nature, and meant well in trying to resolve the inequities. I give him an "A" for having good intentions. However, his solution was even more flawed than the problem he was trying to resolve. The true solution is sort of what we have had in the USA for most of our existence. Unfortunately that perfect mix that we had with capitalism mixed with some socialism to keep a balanced society is fast disappearing and ever since the fall of the soviet union and since Reagan, we really have been zooming down the freeway to rampant out of control capitalism..and now even some elements of fascism is rearing its ugly head since Bush has been in office.

Communism was not the answer, and neither is rampant out of control capitalism. The ideal system is capitalism that also has compassion mixed in.

Answer 7

He wrote a book, "Das Kapital" and invented communism. His ideas were goofy. They never worked. Marxism never had any "achievements." The welfare state is communism-lite. It does not work and will fail the way all leftist governments fail.

Answer 8

He was my favorite Marx Brother....

Answer 9

Thought they were all pretty funny.....but would have to say Groucho was funnier than Karl

Answer 10

He was a frikkin leech and a no good bum.